Safety-bridle.



No. 664,9l3. Patented Ian. I, I901. J. WALLA.

SAFETY BRIDLE.

[Application 'filed Apr. 26, 1899.)

(N0 Modem Uivrrnn STATES RATENT prion.

JOHN XVALLA, OF WESTON, NEBRASKA.

SAFETY-BRiDLE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,913, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed April 26, 1899.

To 11. 1071/0777, it may concern.-

Be itknown that 1, JOHN WALLA, acitizen of the United States, residing at Weston, in the county of Saunders and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Safety-Bridle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to' harness in general, and has particular reference to what is known as safety-bridles of that class in which when desired the bit may be drawn upwardly into the back portion of the animals mouth.

One object of the invention is to provide, in connection with the bit, bit-rings, through which are passed running connections which are attached at one end to the cheek-straps of the bridle, so that when these connections are drawn upon the distance between the bit and the crown-strap of the bridle will be lessened and corresponding strain will be con tributed to the mouth of the animal.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a specific form of bit-ring and running connection that the connection will have a step-by-step movement through the ring instead of running freely, as is customary, and thus the usual constant strain upon the arms of a driver is prevented.

Further objects and advantages of the invent-ion will appear inthe following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim- In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a safety-bridle, the same being shown applied. Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the running connection engaged with the tongue of the cheek-strap buckle, a portion of the cheek-strap being illustrated to show the connection. Fig. 3is a detail perspective view showing the uppermost link of a chain forming one of the running connections and which link is directly engaged with the tongue of the buckle of the cheek-strap.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

In the drawings 1 have illustrated a bit 1, which may be of any preferred type, such as the snaffle, and pivotally connected with the extremities thereof are bit-rings 2, lying in eyes at the ends of the bit, the rings beserial No. 714,521. (No model.)

ing held from movement through the eyes by enlargements 10 upon the rings at one side of the bit and by portions 11 at the opposite side.

The bit-rings are engaged with the cheeln straps 3, the latter being looped at their lower ends and being provided with an adjusting device, such as a buckle 4 of the ordinary construction. Each bit-ring is provided in rear of the point of engagement therewith of the cheek-strap with a guide,which may,as shown in the drawings, consist of an integral eye. Each of these eyes consists of or is formed by an inwardly-directed arc-shaped portion 12, lying in the plane of its respective bit-ring, and extending through this guide-eye is a running connection 6, connected at one end with the cheek-strap at a point above the plane of the bit-ring and provided at the other end with a rein-ring 7, to which may be attached the rein 8, which is ordinarily attached to the bit-ring. The cheek-straps 3 engage the rings 2, so as to lie against the arc-shaped portions V '12, which latter prevent displacement of the straps upon the bit-rings in one direction. Owing to the arrangement of the guide-eye at the upper side of the bit-ring and in rear of the point of engagement with said ring of the cheek-strap a tensile strain applied to the running connection by draft upon the reins will cause a downward strain upon the cheekstraps and a corresponding upward strain upon the bit-rin gs, which serves to elevate the latter, and thus practically shorten the effective or operative length of the cheek-straps. The result of this operation is to elevate the mouth of the animal, while at the same time crowding the bit into the corners of the mouth, and thus throw the head of the animal into such a position as to interfere eifectually with an effort to run, even should the animal succeed, as often occurs, in grasping the bit between the teeth. 4

It is owing to the fact that a runaway or bolting animal is able under certain circumstances to grasp the bit between the teeth that the ordinary means for controlling the animal are rendered useless; but it will be obvious from the foregoing description that such an act upon the part of a horse will not .render my improved bit ineffective, for the reason that the latter operates not so much by crowding or applying distressing pressure to the mouth of the animal as by forcibly and mechanically lifting the front portion of the head, and thus throwing it into such a position as to deprive the animal of the power to bolt.

In practice I construct the running connection of chain, and, as shown, Iform the guideeye integral with the bit-ring, a metallic running connection obviously being more durable and being capable of resisting the strain and of withstanding the friction due to the movement of the connection through the guide-eye in the ordinary operations of driving and directing the movements of the animal. Furthermore, at the upper extremity of each running connection I provide an attaching-link 8*, preferably of elongated construction and adapted to receive a tongue 9 of the cheek-strap buckle. Thus in applying the device forming the essential features of my invention to a bridle of the ordinary construction it is necessary simply to engage said terminal attaching-link of the running connection with the tongue of the cheek-strap buckle.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- The combination with a bit, of bit-rings pivotally connected therewith and held against displacement with respect thereto, each of said rings being formed integral and comprising a tapered eye, each of said eyes being bounded on its inner side by an inwardly-directed arc-shaped portion lying in the plane of its respective ring, and said eye lying diadrawn and released by the reins sliding' through the tapered portions of the eyes and adapted to receive the edges of the tapered portions of their respective eyes, between the links to hold the bit in position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WALLA.

Witnesses:

D. A. MARCH, 0. E. LILLIBRIDGE. 

